Human Rights Watch on Monday called on world leaders attending the UN General Assembly in New York this week to defend international human rights institutions and uphold accountability for serious international crimes.

On September 21, a statement ahead of the General Assembly’s September 22-28 meeting urged governments to resist efforts to weaken the UN, international law, and institutions responsible for investigating and prosecuting serious abuses. The organization said leaders should use the gathering to address conflicts and human rights crises in Iran, Gaza and the West Bank, Ukraine, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Myanmar, Haiti and Afghanistan.

Commenting on the importance of a concerted effort from countries all over the world in addressing the perpetration of gross violations of international humanitarian law, Louis Charbonneau, UN director at HRW stated:

The UN and other international organizations created to protect human rights are under attack from countries that had pledged to defend them… All UN member countries should condemn attempts by the United States, Russia, China, and others to dismantle the international human rights system and destroy avenues for accountability for abuses.

One of their main concerns is the International Criminal Court (ICC), which HRW says is facing increasing pressure from the United States. The Trump administration has imposed sanctions on ICC officials and judges and, according to HRW, announced an effort to dismantle the court. The measures have also targeted a UN human rights expert and three Palestinian human rights organizations.

Last year, the ICC investigated alleged international crimes in several situations, including Afghanistan, Sudan, Ukraine, Myanmar and Palestine. It has issued arrest warrants for Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Russian President Vladimir Putin and other Russian officials. The warrants concern allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity and do not constitute convictions.

HRW, alongside three other organizations, filed a lawsuit in the Southern District of New York in August challenging the US sanctions regime. The organizations allege that the measures interfere with their ability to represent victims, submit legal materials to the ICC, and conduct human rights research and advocacy.

The organization also previously pushed the government to address the UN’s continuing financial crisis, which it says has already affected human rights and peacekeeping operations. The organization has attributed much of the liquidity crisis to unpaid or delayed contributions, particularly from the United States and China.

It places much of this responsibility on the incoming UN secretary-general, who will succeed António Guterres at the end of 2026, to prioritize human rights, strengthen peacekeeping and address the organization’s funding problems.